Hearse



June 16, 1942. H. A TOULMIN, JR

HEARSE Original Filed March 27, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jrvumonl HARRY ATOULMI In,

Patented June 16, 1942 HEARSE Harry A. Toulmin, Jr., Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Commonwealth Engineering Corporation, W11- mington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Original application March 27, 1939, Serial No. 264,299. Divided and this application April 28, 1941, Serial No. 390,660 I 4 Claims. (Cl. 21483) This invention relates to vehicles and particularly to a side loading type hearse.

It is an object of the invention to provide a side loading type hearse with automatic mechanism for moving a casket carrying table from a position longitudinal with the axis of the hearse to a position transverse with the axis.

It is another object of the invention to provide a hydraulic mechanism for bodily moving a casket carrying table transversely of the hearse without substantial longitudinal motion, and for rotating the table While transversely moving the It is another object of the invention to provide a hearse with a casket carrying table having a pivot post positioned closer to one end than to the other, to move the pivot post transversely of the hearse without longitudinal movement thereof and to provide hydraulic mechanism for performing this operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a hearse having a mechanism for performing the operation of the foregoing object wherein the pivot post is also rotated concomitant with the transverse motion thereof.

It is another object of the invention to provide a cable or belt operated mechanism actuated my hydraulic means for accomplishing the foregoing objects.

It is another object of the invention to provide hydraulic means for moving the pivot post of the casket carrying table transversely of the hearse and to provide mechanical means for rotating the pivot post concomitant with the transverse motion thereof.

It is another object to provide a mechanism and. a method for moving a casket-supporting table with or without a casket thereupon, through a side door opening of materially lesser width than the length of the table or casket.

In particular it is the object of this invention to provide a table rotatable around a vertical axis arranged on the center line of the table and optionally closer to one end of the table than the other.

It is a further object to provide means of moving the table bodily from a central position, longitudinally aligned with the major axis of the hearse, to a position with the center of the table off-center of the major axis of the hearse.

It is an object to provide means of simultaneously or successively rotating the table after its longitudinal axis has been thus displaced or while it is being so displaced.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a table in the hearse which rotates about its vertical axis and successively or simultaneously or previously is moved towards one wall of the hearse.

It is a further object to place the center of such rotative movement closer to one endof the table than the other and preferably closer to the end that emerges from the hearse last or remains in the hearse. Heretofore, rotatable tables have not been employed, although desirable because of the simplicity of the construction and movement and because of the elimination of any guide tracks in the floor of the hearse. The reason such rotatable tables have not been employed has been that when the table was rotated, with or Without the casket, in order to get the forward end through one side of the hearse, the rear end of the table and casket would strike the other side of the hearse, preventing further rotating and preventing exit of the table and casket. The present invention obviates this heretofore insurmountable difiiculty by first moving the table bodily laterally towards the Wall of the hearse through which the table is to project. Then, according to this invention, simultaneously with such movement or after it has been performed, the rotation of the table about its central Vertical axis takes place. In this way, the table and casket can be rotated on the vertical axis without the rear ends striking the opposite wall of the hearse.

It is a further object to provide fully automatic electrical means for moving the table in or out through either side door of the hearse, which is put into operation by merely pressing appropriate button switches and which operates with a minimum of noise whereby the casket may be moved into or out of the hearse through the side door with the proper dignity.

This application is a division of my application Serial No. 264,299, filed March 27, 1939, now Patent No. 2,229,483 granted Jan. 21, 1941.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view, in crosssection, of a hearse showing the position of the casket carrying table therein.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic partially structural view of the mechanism for performing the operation of this invention.

Figure 3 is a diagram of the control mechanisms.

In this invention the casket carrying table positioned within the hearse is supported upon a plurality of rollers in the conventional manner to permit the table to be moved upon the floor of the hearse. The hearse is of the side loading type wherein the body I is provided with the usual floor 2 upon which the casket carrying table is supported. A rear door 3 is provided in the body through which the supporting table can be moved if desired. The hearse, being of the side loading type, is thus provided with side doors 5 and 5 through which the casket carrying table 5 can be extended by means of mechanism which will be hereinafter described. The doors 5 and 5 are hinged to the body in the usual manner and are so located that the table 5, when in its final transverse position, will clear both sides of the door opening. The doors are relatively narrow, being considerably narrower than the length of the table and casket, their exact width and location being determined. by the width of the table, the width of the interior of the body of the hearse, the location of the pivot point for the table 5 and the manner in which the table is moved into and out of the hearse.

The floor 2 of the hearse is provided with a transverse slot 8 through which the turret or pivot post 9 extends. This turret or pivot post 9 is secured to the under side of the carrying table 5 and forms a pivotal support for the casket carrying table about which the table is rotated while the pivot post is moved transversely of the hearse by the mechanism hereinafter described.

The pivot post 5 is secured to or is integral with the gear H, which gear is positioned below the floor 2 of the hearse. The gear I! engages a rack I2 which is secured to the under side of the floor 2 of the hearse. Since the gear H is secured to the pivot post 5 it can readily be seen that movement of the gear along the rack l2 will rotate the pivot post 9.

The mechanism for moving the pivot post 9 within the slot 8 consists of a hydraulic cylinder 58' which has a piston 59' therein. A plunger rod 51 extends through opposite ends of the cylinder 58 and is adapted to carry the pulleys 53 and 54 upon opposite ends thereof. The pulleys 53 and 54 are carried upon the plunger rod 51 by means of the pivot shafts 55 and 55 respectively.

A belt or cable 52 is fixedly attached to a plate 5| carried upon the rotatable pin 59. The pin 59 pdojects upwardly in the turret 9. The cable 52 passes around the rotatable pulleys 53 and 55 and has th opposite ends thereof fastened to a stationary member or clamp 59 which is fixedly attached to the chassis of the hearse or the floor 2 so as to be inmmovable.

When the piston 59 is reciprocated within the cylinder 58 the movement of the piston is doubled, and this movement is transmitted to the turret or pivot post 9 so that the turret 9 moves exactly twice the distance through which the piston 59 moves within the cylinder 58. The

pulleys 53 and 55 are thus prevented from undue movement and are prevented from projecting beyond the sides of the hearse.

The hydraulic system for actuating the piston 59 within the cylinder 59consists of a fluid or liquid pump 5| which may be of the gear type. The pump 5| is driven by an electric motor 2| through means of a worm 85 and a worm wheel 8|. The inlet side of the pump BI is connected to a conduit 99 which in turn is connected to' a fluid reservoir of the tank 52. The outlet side of the pump 5| is connected to a conduit 9| which in turn is connected to a 4-way valve 53 at the inlet opening 12.

The 4-way valve 53 is provided with outlet ports l9 and H which are connected to the chambers 68 and 51 respectively of the cylinder 58 by the conduits 92 and 93 respectively. The valve 53 is also provided with outlet ports 18 and 19 which are connected to the fluid reservoir or tank 52 by means of the conduits 94 and 95 respectively.

The valve 53 has a plunger 54 extending therethrough which carries the piston 55 and 55 so that reciprocation of the rod 54 within the valve 53 causes the pistons 55 and 55 to position themselves with respect the ports 19, 1|, l8 and 19 that the pump 51 is caused to deliver liquid into the chambers 61 and 58 of the cylinder 58 according to the selected position of the pistons 55 and 55 within the valve 53. This operation, obtained by having the ports 19 and H so disposed relative to the pistons 65 and 56 that the entering liquid from the port 12 can be connected to either port 19 or H depending upon the lateral position of the rod 54. When the rod 64 is in the position shown in Figure 2 the gear pump 5| pumps liquid through the port F2 to the port 1| and thence to the chamber 57. As the piston 59 moves to the right a corresponding amount of liquid is forced out of the chamber 58 and returns to the reservoir 52 through the ports 19 and 18. When the rod 5 1 is moved in a rightward direction the reverse connections are made between the various ports. Normally, the rod 64 is held in a position that the pump 5| will direct or force liquid into the cylinder 57. This normal position of the rod E i-is produced by means of a spring 13 which is secured to the armature 95 of a solenoid 14, the armature being suitably secured to the rod 64. The spring 73 is a tension spring and therefore tends to urge the rod 55- in a leftward direction.

The apparatus herein described provides a mechanism whereby the admission of hydraulic fluid into the chamber 51 of the cylinder 58 moves the piston 59 in a rightward direction whereby the pulleys 53 and 54 are moved in a rightward direction. Since the pivot post or turret 9 is secured to the cable 52 by means of the plate 5|, the turret 9 will move in a rightward direction within the slot 8 thereby causing a transverse motion of the pivot post 9 with respect the body of the hearse. This transverse motion of the pivot post 9 will move the gear along the rack I2 so that the pivot post 9 will be rotated by the gear I! while it is being moved. transversely through means of the hydraulic cylinder 58.

By properly selecting the location of the pivot post 9 with respect the casket carrying table 6 the sweep of the ends of the table can be confined within a predetermined area. In order to permit the hearse body to be made as narrow as possible the casket carrying table 5 is moved bodily transversely of thehearse without substantial longitudinal movement ofthe pivot post 9. This arrangement permits the casket carrying table to be moved toward the side wall of the hearse and provides maximum clearance between the' table and the side wall for rotation of the table within the hearse body. The rotation of the table 5 may be and is preferably, concomitant with the transverse motion of the pivot post 9.

For operating the mechanism described in Figure 2 the electric circuit disclosed in Figure 3 is provided. The electrical controls consist of the limit switches 22 and 23 positioned adjacent opposite ends of the slot 8. A limit switch 24 is positioned adjacent a parallel wall of the slot 8 and is disposed approximately centrally between the ends of the slot. The limit switches 22 and 23 are normally closed and are opened upon the turret 9 reaching the end of its travel within the slot 8. The switch 24 is open when the turret 9 is in the neutral position as shown in Figure 2 and is closed when the turret 9 leaves this neutral position. Push-button switches 25 and 26 are positioned adjacent the door 4 while push-button switches 21 and 28 are positioned adjacent the door 5. These switches control energization of the electric circuit controlling movement of the table 6 in and out of the doors 4 and 5.

The circuit electrically interconnecting the various elements of the control systems shown in Figure 3.

Assuming the table 6 is to be moved through the right-hand door opening 4 the operator presses the push-button switch 25 which establishes circuit to the winding 35 of the solenoid 29 to move its armature and the rod 31 upwardly, thereby closing the contacts 36 and 75.' The current thereupon flows through the motor 2| for operating the pump to force hydraulic fluid into the chamber 61 of the cylinder 58. The casket carrying table will thus be moved transversely toward the door opening 4 whereby the limit switch 24 is closed. As soon as the table 6 begins transverse movement the operator can release the push-button switch 25 since the limit switch 24 will now be closed and will maintain circuit through the coil 35 of solenoid 29 by way of the contact 36, the limit switch 23 being closed at this time. The motor 2| will continue to move the table 6 out the right-hand door 4 of the hearse until the turret or pivot post 9 reaches the end of the slot 8 at which time it strikes the limit switch 23 to open the same. The limit switch 23 will then break circuit to the coil 35 of the solenoid 29 and permit the rod 31 to move to a neutral position as caused by the centering springs 38, thus breaking circuit through the contacts 36 and .thereby stopping the motor 2|.

After the table 6 has been extended through the door 4 of the hearse and it is desired to return it within the body of the hearse, the operator will press the push-button switch 26 to energize the coil 4| of the solenoid 29. The armature of the solenoid 29 will then cause the rod 31 to move downwardly and establish circuit through the contacts 49, I6 and 11. Electric circuit will thus be established through the motor 2| and through the solenoid 14 whereby the 4- way valve 63 will be shifted to reverse the flow of hydraulic fluid to the cylinder 58. When circuit was established through the contact 40 a holding circuit was made for the coil 4| since the limit switch 22 is closed as well as the limit switch 24. Hydraulic fluid will now be forced into the opposite end of the cylinder 58 by means of the pump 6| until the turret or pivot post 9 reaches its neutral position as shown in Figure 2, at which time the limit switch 24 will be opened to break circuit to the coil 4|. The rod 31 will then be returned to its neutral position by the springs 38 whereby the electric circuit to the motor 21 and the solenoid 14 is broken.

The hydraulic mechanism of this invention prevents substantial movement of the table when within the body of the hearse during transportation since the pump 6| will not permit fluid to move in either direction through the same. The hydraulic fluid within the cylinder 58 thus provides a snubb-ing action for any movement attempted by the table 6 during transportation.

It will be noted, by referring to Figure 2, that the table 6 and its casket I are in the at rest position with the longitudinal axis of the table and casket aligned with and coincident on the longitudinal axis of the hearse. The table and casket are equally disposed from either door or either wall of the hearse. This is the normal carrying and running position of the vehicle.

When turret 9 is moved, it is caused to simultaneously move both laterally and rotatably. Thus table 6 and casket 1 are bodily carried towards the right-hand open door and side wall of the hearse.

The center of pivotal support 9 is disposed upon the longitudinal axis of the table and is located closer to the rear of the table than to the front thereof. As this lateral movement of the table, bodily towards the side wall of the hearse, is taking place, the table and the casket on it begin to rotate on this pivotal center and in so doing, the forward end swings through the door opening left by the open door 4 and the rear end swings toward the opposite side wall and door 5 without striking either because the pivotal point of the pivot 9 has moved towards the opposite side wall.

When the movement is completed, the table and casket are substantially projected through the side of the hearse, in which position the casket can be easily unloaded and in which position a casket can be easily loaded on the table. This compound movement of bodily lateral and rotary movement makes it possible to adopt a pivoted support for a table without having the rear end of the table strike one wall of the hearse or project beyond that Wall if the door in that side wall is open.

If it is desired to lengthen the table, the usual pull out slide can be provided on one end thereof so as to furnish an extended support for the casket as it moves from or on to the table during loading.

When in running position, the table can be locked by the usual pins, or other devices.

If it is desired to unload the casket from the rear end of the hearse, the door 3 is opened. Under such circumstances, it is usual to provide a slide extension on the rear of the table to facilitate unloading the casket.

It will be understood that the drawings are purely diagrammatic and not to scale. If desired, a double door or very large single door can be provided, or a folding door on the side of the hearse can be provided so that the door opening is of greater width than the length of the table or casket.

Thus there are important principles in this construction and in the operation thereof:

(a) The bodily movement of the table and casket towards one side of the hearse.

(b) The successive or simultaneous rotary Y movement of the table and casket.

(c) The location of the center pivoting along the axis of the table and casket which can be adjusted so as to regulate the pivotal movement, the swing of the table and the clearance of the table through the door openings.

(d) The automatically operated movement of the table.

It will be understood that I desire to comprehend within my invention such modifications, as may be necessary to adapt it to varying conditions. and uses.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In combination, a hearse having sides, a door opening in one of said sides, a table mounted upon a floor in said hearse parallel to the sides of the hearse and having its ends projecting beyond the edges of said door opening, a pivot for said table disposed within the confines of said table, said table being so proportioned and so disposed with respect to said sides and door opening that it would strike one of said sides if rotated about said pivot, and hydraulic means for simultaneously moving said pivot laterally and causing said table to rotate about said pivot in such manner to project said table through said opening while preventing contact of the table with said sides.

2. In combination, a hearse having sides, a door opening in one of said sides, a table mounted upon a floor in said hearse parallel to the sides of the hearse and having its ends projecting beyond the edges of said door opening, a pivot for said table located Within the confines of said table, said table being so proportioned and so disposed with respect to said sides and door opening that it would strike one of said sides if rotated about said pivot, a turret projecting through said floor and in engagement with said table at its pivot, a lateral slot in said floor through which said turret is slidable,

a hydraulically actuated piston, means so connecting; said piston to said turret as to move said turret laterally, a rack parallel to said slot, a gear fixedly attached to said turret and engaging said rack, and means for hydraulically actuating said piston so as to mOVe said table from a carrying position parallel to the sides of the hearse to a position where it projects laterally through said door opening.

3. In combination, a hearse having sides, a door opening in one of said sides, a, table mounted above a floor in said hearse, and means for simultaneously rotating" said table and bodily laterally moving it with respect to the center line of the hearse whereby to move it; to and from a position where it extends out of, said door opening, said rotating and laterally moving means comprising a turret projecting, through said floor and in engagement with said table, a slot in said floor extending laterally of said hearse and through which said turret is adapted to be moved, a hydraulically actuated piston parallel to said slot, means imparting to said turret double the lateral motion of said piston. and means in engagement with said turret for rotating. it as it is moved laterally.

4. Ina hearse of the side delivery type, a table, a pivotal axis for said table, hydraulic means for moving said axis transversely of said hearse without longitudinal movement thereof, gear means operatively associated with said axis, and rack means associated with said gear means, said gear and rack means causing rotation of said table upon transverse movement thereof by actuation of said hydraulic means.

1 HARRY A. TOULMIN, JR. 

